BaitShark: No matter What
by Specter1997
Summary: Based on the soundtrack of the original YGO series dubbed by 4kids, this song actually is the inspiration to this story. Spoiler to chapter 124, if before that episode Shark told Yuma of his pastlife, will there be a happy ending? Warning: this contains mild humour, at least in my opinion.


There is no light at all, in the room I'm in right at the moment. First I got a visual message from Shark who wanted me to meet him at mid-night. MIDNIGHT! I mean, I'm supposed to be sleeping right now. But you know what? I'm that kind of person would do anything if any of my friends are in trouble, so I crept out of my dome, and sneaked out of my house without disturbing big sis and Grandma's dreams.

So why did Shark ask me out? I haven't got a clue, even until now. But what I'm certain is that this is a serious matter he wants to discuss with me. No one, let's not say Shark or Kaito, Kotori won't even ask me out at night unless it is something to deal with the Numbers, Barians or any of my friends are in trouble with new enemies. So yes, he has something important to discuss with me.

I don't know why he would choose a place like this- like a basement or something that dark. It seems like a base of the baddies in movies- you know, that kind of _'Come to the basement of (location) at (time), and get back what is in your possession'_- it feels like that way. So I got in, except the light is only shinning at the entrance to the room I'm going to, inside it was all dark. And it is darker than the darkest black, that I can't even see my own hands as I reach them out. Ah well, probably my eyes haven't get used to the darkness after being exposed too long under the light.

I step forward, and the noise of my shoe base echoes around the whole area for quite a while. From that I know this is an empty basement.

'_Yuma,'_ Astral comments as he appears next to me,_ 'don't you think this is weird? For Shark to ask you out at this hour- '_

"I know." I know he is just being cautious and caring, but I still have to cut him off. And I hear my words echo. Oops, too loud. "I know, but I just can't stand there and do nothing if my friends are in trouble, eh?" As he doesn't reply, I take that he agrees with me. So I slightly lower my voice and call my friend's name. This time the echo is not as loud as the previous echoes. I wait in the dark. The air is still, and in such an empty space, it gives me pressure. And yet, I don't miss that little bit of movement in the air. There are echoes of shoes with high heels or metallic bases walk on the ground.

"You alright there buddy?" I ask as I stand still. The walking noise stops, and then I heard a huge sigh. Yup, he's not alright. "What's wrong?" I ask again to try to assure him. And then I wait, don't know how long, I hear my name is called.

"Yuma."

At least that makes me relieved a bit. I feel sorry about him too, from the really husky voice he has right now, I'm wondering what _else _makes him so unhappy, other than Barians and the numbers. I think perhaps…

"Is Rio's situation getting worse?"

"…no." Oh great, now he sounds sadder than before.

"Is there something worse than that?"

"…you know that you actually are an idiot right? Why would I call you out if I don't have any extremely bad news that I need to share with you?"

This is the first time that I feel embarrass enough that want to hit myself on my face for being such a moron. "So, what's the matter?"

He doesn't answer, and that I'm a bit worried, _Sharku_. "What's wrong? Are you ill?" I ask again, to make this a bit friendlier. There is a short pause before when Shark speaks again.

"I… I don't know *sniffs*… if any of you *a mixture of sniffs and coughs*… or Astral has already known that…" His voice becomes husky and the words are kind of… jumbled up.

Is he… crying? I walk towards to him, because right now my eyes are used to the darkness, so I can see where his form is. "Calm down, I won't hurt you." I don't know that either, maybe my 'dumbness' will make me say something I shouldn't and make him more upset.

He sniffs, his shoulders move up and down quickly for sobbing. "…you promise you won't be mad?" Like a little kid who stops rubbing his eyes while crying, he looks at me with still a bit unsure and afraid. I give him an encouraging smile as I usually do to my friends: "I won't."

When he says out what troubles him so much, a van passes by with an echo of eeeeeeeeeooooo left in the room and dies off when it goes far away. For a moment the light it leaves behind shines really bright across the room from the entrance. Even it is just a moment I get what he says before the light goes out again. What I see is a figure that is similar to the Shark I know, but he is more like an emperor in a different world. It is a violet figure that wears a golden crown on his head, a metallic pendant in the shape mark of the Barian world across his chest, a red cape, and a pair of blue eyes that I'm familiar with are now have become red on the left. No mouth, but with marks on his face, in a strange outfit, these features truly match the standard of a Barian.

My friend, Kamishiro Ryoga, who has a nickname Shark, is a Barian, and the head of our enemy, the Barians.

I have stopped smiling already. Instead of feeling a sudden rage all over my body after such a shock, I feel really, really sorry for him from the bottom of my heart. For he has been hating Barians so long who controlled Tron and Faker and made his little sister suffered, right now it turns out that actually he is one of them, and he is their leader (his twin sister might as well). As a conclusion, that must be a really horrible surprise.

"Why…" "DON'T COME NEAR ME!" I walk towards to Shark to try to comfort him, but he backs away, the next moment he sinks his face into his hands and falls to his knees as he breaks down. "…you know that all along right Astral?" Now that I find out that I sound husky too. Probably I have my drool dried out after I swallow all of them from the shock. _'Yes, since the flashback of the siblings' memories back in the undersea labyrinth. And Durbe was there too.'_ Astral answers as Shark cries even louder.

"I told you I won't be mad, and did I go mad?" I kneel in front of him and put my hands on his shoulders as I continue: "And why don't you tell me at the first place?" "No! Bu- but I'm _something_ like Vector who tricked you all the way right? I don't want you to suffer like when he betrayed you!" His answer muffles through his hands. I get what he mean, and very clear. Yes he is a Barian like Vector, but they are _different_. Because Vector acted like a really good-hearted idiot, and helped my Hope to rank up, and said that he was a guardian of the Barian world. But it turned out to be a plan of him backstabbing me and brought Astral to death by making him mad at me for betraying him, that duel is still bringing shivers down my spine because the cards- the evidence of our _friendship_- nearly had me defeated and had Astral dead. Shark however, yes he had been controlled by the Numbers (and a psychic) a few times, he is cocky, but he is truthful, trustworthy, very brave and kind. And he didn't have a single card that is given to me and made me defeated in a duel. And he doesn't look for the Numbers, so yeah they are different.

But there's no way I just spit all the things I just thought above to him in plain words. "Well…" I chuckle nervously, "No, because you didn't backstab me, you didn't act like an idiot or like a _nerd_, and nearly had me defeated in that duel with his true self." I then remark: "And you also very good at taking care of people, kind-hearted."

Now he looks up from his hands with widened, tears glistening eyes. "Am I… *sniffs*n- nothing like him?" "Yes, and stop calling yourself a thing! You are a _human_ after all." You are way more humane than Vector is. He is frozen when I say that and then he is pulled into my arms. The next thing I hear is "Damn _**destiny**_… how could it be so cruel…?" and he rests his fists between my chest and his forehead.

…I really dislike the word destiny, a lot. I mean a real lot. I don't care about the rules much, except the duel rules. And the idea of trapping in a box, you can't move much. And because of that most of time if somebody said that I'm going to lose, I would do anything to make something _out of my own_, other than following what he says and lead me to my defeat. And in reality, it is very hard to do so. Because you are going to suffer from both physical and mental impacts: you are afraid of how the others, especially your elders in your family, are going to think about your attitude; and afraid to carry out the whole act when it becomes real. But, that's what they say, _there are always hope even in the darkest misery!_

He hugs back as I move one of mine to put his head on to my shoulder. "It must have been hard and painful… so out of a sudden everything you have lived through so far becomes nothing but like a dream…" I say softly as I rub his back with my other hand while he nods slightly and sobs louder. "But," I hug him tighter before I pull away and look at him straight into his eyes, "you remember everything that happened in the _dream_ right? Will you remember what happen today, this time?"

He nods slowly as he looks down. "I… *gasps*… I can't believe …that I *coughs*… I- I'm saying all those destiny stuff like a sceptical emo…" It seems that in my imagination, he is _blushing_ when he says that. At that moment I was grinning to see him like this (and any time after what happened today). "STOP GRINNING LIKE A PERVERT!" "Sorry." He is _pouting_ I bet… okay that is enough Yuma, stop that.

I put my friendly smile on my face again. "Try to break your destiny. It is what it is now. You may have change your future after you told the biggest enemy of the Barians have known, you will be executed by exposing your true identity, but I'm the same." _'Yuma!' _"Shut up, Astral I'm trying to be like a big brother here!" Excuse me, Astral has interrupted my coolness. And I also feel heat on my cheeks. "Being a Barian, like _Shingetsu_ _the illusion _says is not always bad. *****Tron, V, IV and III are not bad guys while being Barians, right?" He nods, so I continued: "And that doesn't mean that your life won't go back to normal-"

"What if this is the last time of me 'having a normal life'?" He interrupts as it seems he is going to burst into tears again. "Well…" I need a moment to think. "Treasure it, remember it clearly in your head. But before you interrupted, I was going to say, be who you are, not pretending to be something that is not you at all, and do your best to keep what you precious safe and sound." Then I give him another soft, friendly smile, before I make it into a serious look. "Even if that so called destiny bastard is going real hard on our friendship, do it! But when the worst situation comes, when we have to face off like real enemies, may the best man win." Despair feels up his eyes as he widens them, and makes his irises smaller. "But please don't forget," I then smile archly, **"NO MATTER WHAT, WHO EVER YOU WERE, WE ARE ALWAYS FRIENDS."**

I kiss his forehead. "Mh?!" He jumps in surprise. He is _blushing_~ YUMA! _'YUMA! That's going too far-'_ "Guess what Astral?" I turn to him, he seems _jealous_. Ha! "I'm a real_ jerk_ when it comes to this friendship business!" I give him a 'U mad bro?' look to Astral before I turn at Shark again, who is no longer crying, but staring up at me with those big eyes of his. Really, my conscience and Astral's scream really do come at the same time.

"Hmm, you want something?"

"Nothing, just want to look at you more before my eyes go black." He whispers as he touches his forehead, "and that kiss..."

"Oh, it is a friendly kiss. It means I here ******to adore, respect and love you as a friend." Although those thoughts of him blushing and pouting are something beyond _normal _friends will do…

"Isn't it mean 'I like you' when you first meet someone new*******?"

"That I don't know … I got it from the internet."

"… Okay."

"What? You want an encore or _something_ else?"

"HECK? NO!"

That day I got a bruise on my face, and I had learnt that, never be too friendly to those who just consider you as a normal friend. But, at least, I helped him up from being still in despair, and had him cheered up, until the day we confront each other.

* * *

* Don't know, but before being defeated by Yuma, Tron and his family are Barians.

** art/Kiss-Me-Art-Meme-154422466 (DA)

*** /different-types-of-kisses/ (typeofkisses)

Don't know which one is real, but that is where the reference come from, so hope you have a good time at here ^^


End file.
